desperatehousewivesfandomcom-20200223-history
Finishing the Hat
"Finishing the Hat" is the 180th episode of Desperate Housewives, as well as its 8th season finale and series finale. Summary The lives of the Wisteria Lane residents are to be forever changed in the emotional series finale, as Renee's wedding approaches, and Gabrielle receives a big promotion that prompts her to be more neglectful towards Carlos, thus mirroring the early years of their marriage - with reversed roles. Lynette is too offered a big job opportunity herself when old friend Katherine Mayfair returns from France - an opportunity that could end Lynette's chances of reconciling with Tom. Meanwhile, Julie goes into labor at the most inopportune time, Bree tries to distance herself from Trip Weston, and Mrs. McCluskey prepares to move to a different neighborhood in the great beyond. Plot 'Previously on ''Desperate Housewives *Lee asks Susan if she's told her friends she's moving yet; she says "Not yet", and Lee tells her he got an offer on her house. ("Give Me the Blame") *Gabrielle drops Juanita and Celia over at Carlos' office, and they both argue that they can't take the girls to school because they have to work. ("Lost My Power") *Bree and Renee go over some of the former's wedding cakes, and Renee tells Bree it isn't big enough. Bree suggests adding another tier to it; Renee says "Make it two." ("Any Moment") *Trip shows up at Bree's victory party to apologize, but she tells him he used her and she doesn't want him in her house. ("Give Me the Blame") *Tom and Lynette make out passionately in the middle of the street, at night. ("Give Me the Blame") 'Teaser A flashback begins. The time is 1990 (presumably), and the place is Wisteria Lane. On a beautiful, typically sunny day, a Statewide moving van parks in front of 4352 Wisteria Lane. Martha Huber, wearing her well-know multi-colored squared shirt, gets out of her house. Mary Alice Young gets out of the moving van, looking excited. Martha rushes over to her and gives her a big welcome to the neighborhood. She introduces herself and extends her hand to Mary Alice, who shakes it and introduces herself as well. "So,...", Martha says, "you got a husband? Mine's dead." The bluntness and the rapidity with which the phrase was uttered surprises and confuses Mary Alice, who simply says "Oh, I'm sorry." "Me too.", says Martha, before adding, "In theory." Mary Alice chuckles and tells her she has a husband and a son, who are in a second van and will be there soon. Martha notices one of the movers bringing in a patio chair, and comments that she used to have a chair just like that, but it kept breaking so she threw it away. "I hate cheap furniture.", she says. A dazed Mary Alice tries to excuse herself, saying that she should go help the movers, and tells Martha it was nice to meet her. Mary Alice enters her property and Mrs. Huber follows her, saying she hardly knows anything about her. Mary Alice is clearly slightly annoyed, and when Martha asks her where she and her family are from, she is caught off-guard. She dismissively tells her "Up North.", but Martha stops her, claiming that that doesn't tell her anything. Mary Alice tells her it's a small town and she wouldn't know it, to which Huber responds: "Try me." Mary Alice turns to her and asks why she needs to know that, and Martha wonders why she doesn't want to tell her. Mary Alice says, "Well, it's no big deal, it's just..."... and stops, unable to respond. Martha looks as though she's had an epiphany, and tells Mary Alice that they can have a nice, long chat after she has settled in. She then leaves, with a look of suspicion on her face. Martha and Mary Alice both head to her respective homes. In a distant future, many years later, in 2004, Mary Alice is seen picking up her revolver. A sequence of several flashbacks of notable moments of the series is shown, intertwined with shots of Mary Alice bringing the gun up to her head. We see Lynette being hit in the face with spoonfuls of her child's baby formula ("Who's That Woman?"), Gabrielle mowing her lawn in an evening gown ("Pilot"), Susan walking around the front lawn of her house, completely naked and using a potted plant to cover herself ("Pretty Little Picture"), Bree opening her fur coat before Rex at his motel room, revealing nothing but her sexy red underwear underneath ("Running to Stand Still"), and Susan's kitchen being blown up in an explosion before her and Gaby's eyes ("Fear No More"). Afterwards, after we see Mary Alice bringing the gun higher up, we are shown Susan running after Mike in her mother's wedding dress, crying ("I Wish I Could Forget You"), Bree loading up her rifle ("That's Good, That's Bad"), a handcuffed Gabrielle being forced into a police car by two officers as Carlos watches from their front porch ("Like It Was"), Lynette removing her wig to reveal her bald head (from chemo) to Muriel ("Now You Know"), and Susan engaging in a catfight with Gaby ("Kids Ain't Like Everybody Else"). Mary Alice finally holds up the gun to her head, with a look of desperation shown in a single eye, and the final flashbacks show us Renee Perry arriving on the lane, Bree telling Orson over the phone that she's found a new project (remodeling the house) ("Remember Paul?"), Susan cleaning her apartment in a skimpy nightgown ("You Must Meet My Wife"), Gabrielle being attacked by her evil stepfather ("Come on Over for Dinner"), the women carrying the wrapped up body in the woods ("Secrets That I Never Want to Know"), Tom and Lynette drinking beer silently ("What's to Discuss, Old Friend?"), and Susan holding up a red rose before the attendees at Mike's funeral ("Women and Death"). Mary Alice pulls the trigger ("Pilot") and a gunshot is heard. 'Act I' In the present time, one beautiful morning, Susan is seen telling her three best friends, Bree, Gabrielle and Lynette, that she will soon be moving away. The ladies are less than happy to hear this news, and then a pair of feet wearing leopard-patterned high-heeled shoes is seen making their way near them. The feet stop, and Lynette's attention is turned to the person as she pats Susan. She says "Oh, my God..." and all the ladies turn their heads with surprise. The feet belong to Katherine Mayfair, who has just arrived on the street, wearing a typical stunning red outfit. Katherine, smiling, removes her sunglasses in style, and says, "Hello, ladies. Did you miss me?". Shortly afterwards, the five women are all sitting in Gaby's front porch, as Katherine is telling her story: three months after moving to France, she and Robin broke up. The ladies give her their sympathies, as Lynette points out that a long-distance move can be hard on a relationship. Katherine says "That, and I decided I just wasn't into women anymore. Although in Paris, it's hard to tell the difference: the women don't shave and the men carry purses." Katherine smiles and the women chuckle. Susan asks what team she is playing for now, to which Katherine replies that she is out of the game, as she's decided to channel her sexual frustration into starting her own business, a line of frozen French pastries. She turns to Bree and asks if she remembers how her ''croissants were always the best on the lane, and Bree gives her a passive-agressive smile and says she remembers Katherine thinking that. Katherine smiles back, and Lynette comments that basically she sells microwavable French food... to the French. Katherine jokes that as they got lazier and fatter she got thinner and richer. And now her accountant has her buying châteaux just to do something with her money. Katherine lets out a conceited laugh, and Gabrielle fakes a like-wise laughter and asks why she is there, other than to rub her success in their faces. Katherine tells them she has a business proposition... for Lynette. Lynette's attention is turned to her. Over at her place, Renee Perry is having her wedding dress measured for fitting by Jean, a local seamstress. Renee asks her to make the dress tighter, and Jean tells her if she does that, Renee won't be able to breathe. Renee tells her she once gave herself salmonella in order to lose 10 pounds before prom, so having a tighter dress isn't an issue. "Beauty is suffering", as Renee puts it. Ben then shows up at her house, and Renee, caught off-guard, tries to conceal herself behind Jean. She asks him what he is doing there, and reminds him that he can't see her before the wedding, as it's bad luck. Ben turns his back to her, smiling, and says he picked up the program for the wedding from the printer. Renee snaps her fingers at Jean to get her to retrieve the program, which she does, and resumes tightening her dress. Renee takes one look at the program and is frustrated right off the bat, because the coloring is ivory, and she told him to get beige. "Are you color-blind? You do know I'm black, right?". Ben starts telling her she seems a little... less angelic than usual. Renee tells him she is busting her ass to give him the happiest day of his life, so they should just ditch the sarcasm. Ben says, "You know what, it is bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding. I just realized why." This said, Ben leaves, and Renee tells Jean yet again, as she doesn't care if she can breathe, to which Jean replies, "At this point, neither do I." Carlos is seen in his kitchen, packing up his lunch, when Gabrielle comes in with the tray of used dishwear. He asks what was going on outside, and Gaby tells him Katherine came back for a visit, but tells him she's no longer a lesbian. Carlos seems disappointed. He then tells her that, while she was out dishing with her friends, their gardener quit. "He wouldn't name names, but apparently, one of us is a little too hard to please." Gabrielle tells her husband he should 'work on that', and then asks if he's gonna get a new one. Carlos asks "When?"; he adds that he has a job too. Gabrielle jokes that he helps the poor and downtrodden, a group with a very flexible schedule. Her phone starts ringing, and before she picks it up she tells him that she's working crazy hours, so house stuff is now up to him. She then tells him, as she picks up the cell phone, that it's her boss calling. She answers, and is surprised and happy to hear the news on the other side. When she hangs up, Carlos asks her what that was about, and a dazed Gaby tells him she just got a huge promotion - she's the new head of VIP sales. Carlos tells her that's amazing, but Gabrielle appears to be shaky. He asks her what is wrong, and she says this is so big, and she's worried that she can't do it. Carlos comes up to her and asks if she doesn't know how smart and talented she is. "You deserve this." They embrace, happily, and then Gabrielle tells him he's right, she just has to learn how to be the boss, as she doesn't even know how to talk to employees. Carlos jokes that he thinks their gardener would agree, to which Gaby responds, "Oh, please. That Sad Sack was a moron.", and then leaves. At a local hospital, Julie Mayer is in for a check-up. Dr. Bailey, a handsome young obstetrician, asks her how she's feeling. Julie tells him she's been craving chocolate constantly, and asks if that's okay. The doctor tells her to be moderate, but adds that he's not worried, and that she looks great. Julie thanks him, as she hands her mother the purse, and Susan, picking up on something, tells Dr. Bailey that Julie will soon be getting her Ph.D., so she will be a doctor too. She then suggests that the two of them have lunch sometime and talk. Dr. Bailey gets a beep on his pager, and has to rush off, saying that that'd be nice, but he has to take this call, and he'll be right back. Once he's gone, a mad Julie turns to her mother and asks what she was doing, and Susan tells her he was flirting with her. Julie says he is her obstetrician, and Susan tells her he know she's fertile, and men like that. Julie begs her to stop, saying she doesn't need to be fixed up, and Susan tells her she's just worried about her, as she doesn't want her daughter to be lonely. Julie then says, spitefully so, that in three weeks she will have a permanent houseguest. Susan says she is talking about 'the other kind of lonely', and points out that even single mothers have needs. Julie tells her "Childbirth can't possibly be as painful than this conversation." Susan tells her she doesn't know how hard it'll be, as having a kid is exhausting, she'll have no time to exercise or eat right, but the good news is she doesn't have to let herself go, because she'll be there, taking of care the baby, so Julie will still be able to go to the gym, and Susan will be the one letting herself go, as she doesn't mind. As she says this, she takes the chocolate bar Julie's been eating from her hands. Julie says "Mom... I just felt the baby tap out 'Make her stop' in Morse code." Susan tells her it's hard to find a man when one's a single mom. She then heads for the door, and Julie reminds her that she was able to find Mike. Susan tells her she was very lucky, and Julie, smiling, agrees with her. Susan smiles back. Karen McCluskey is sitting in her wheelchair out on her front porch, oxygen tube in her nose, and Bree puts a blanket on her lap. Roy is sitting next to them, and Bree leans against the fence and comments that it's a beautiful day. Karen tells her that the nice thing about dying is that every day seems beautiful. Bree winces and Karen points out that she always does whenever she hears her saying something like that. Bree tells her she doesn't mean to, but this situation is hard for her. Roy says "For you? You wanna switch places with her?", referring to his wife, who chuckles and tells him to be nice. Bree then tells Karen she got the song she wanted for her funeral. Karen is grateful: the song is by Johnny Mathis. Karen tells her friend that she and her girlfriends taught each other to dance to the sound of "Wonderful! Wonderful!". Bree explains that she's only been able to find it on a CD, but Karen tells her it has to be on a 45 rpm, and she's gonna need it to play on a record player, just like she did when she was a kid. Bree nods affirmatively, though not convincingly, and Karen adds that she'll also need the record player. Bree points out that it's really hard to find those 45s; Karen gives her a look, and Bree adds that she's gonna keep searching nevertheless. Her cell phone rings and Bree picks it up: it's Trip. She doesn't seem too happy to talk to him. We hear her saying she's not interested. Karen and Roy listen quietly. Bree begs Trip to stop calling and hangs up. Karen asks her if that was her 'lawyer friend', to which Bree replies "Well, you're half right." "I thought you liked him.", says Karen, and Bree says that she did, more than she's liked anybody in a very long time, but then she realized that he just manipulates people so that he can get what he wants. She concludes by saying that she can't trust him. Bree then leaves and tells them she will check on them later. Once she's gone, Karen asks Roy to look up a phone number for her. He asks her what she's up to, as though he already kind of knows, and Karen tells her husband "I don't know. I thought it would be fun to screw with people's lives one last time before I check out." Roy smiles and she pats him and chuckles. Lynette and Katherine enter the former's house, and Lynette comments that it seems like Katherine is doing pretty good. Katherine says she didn't want to brag in front of the girls, but her company is 'worth a few bucks'. Lynette sarcastically says "That was you not bragging?", and Katherine's reply consists of taking out her company's last financial statement from her purse and handing it to Lynette, who takes a look and is blown away. Katherine lets out a high laugh, and says that she loves doing that. Lynette hands her the piece of paper back and tells her to have a seat. Katherine does, and explains that they are doing so well in fact that are planning to branch out worldwide, and she would like Lynette to head their U.S. division... in New York. Lynette, having taken two waters out of her fridge, asks why her, and Katherine tells her Lynette's the smartest businesswoman she knows, and when she heard Tom and her had split up, Katherine figured there was nothing tying her to Fairview anymore. Lynette starts saying, "Well, here's the thing...", and she can't finish her sentence because Tom comes rushing down the stairs, a shirt in his hands, talking about how there's only 45 minutes left to his job interview and he manages to lose a button. Tom is surprised to find Katherine in the kitchen, and Lynette tells her friend "That's the thing.", as she points at Tom. Katherine seems almost as surprised to see Tom there as he is to see her, and he greets her with a kiss and asks what brought her back to the States. Katherine tells him she came for his wife, to offer her a job in New York. Tom is surprised and Lynette tells him she is obviously not taking it, and then she turns to Katherine and tells her they just got back together, and she couldn't be happier. The Scavos kiss, and Tom apologizes to Katherine in their behalf, saying he knows how hard it is to lose Lynette, adding that it is very sweet to get her back. Katherine doesn't seem too pleased. Lynette tells Tom to leave the shirt with her and she'll fix it. He thanks her and leaves, and Katherine gets up to leave as well. She tells Lynette that she'll be in town for three days, in case she wants to keep talking about it, and Lynette tells her she feels pretty comfortable with her decision. Katherine says "Okay, but the Lynette that I knew was never happy with a life of... sewing buttons.", she says, snidely, before she goes. This said, Lynette can't help but to be left thinking about it, as she gazes at the shirt. 'Act II' That night, over at the Solis house, the dinner table is all set and prim, when Gabrielle finally comes home from work; she apologizes to her husband for being late and states that she's starving. She then asks what they're having, and Carlos tells her, with an attitude, that he had a lovely steak, and about an hour later he had her steak, so she'll be having cereal. Gaby tells him he knows how it is, the first day of a new job was crazy. Carlos says "And what? You lost your phone?", to which Gabrielle replies, with some faked introspection, that she's a terrible person, but then considers that maybe he'll forgive her when he sees what she's brought him: cue the opening of a case containing a beautiful new wristwatch. Carlos is positively thrilled, and puts it on; he then starts commending the watch... until he realizes what is happening. Gaby is making a move to keep him from being upset over her tardiness... a move he claims to have previously coined. Gabrielle tells him she doesn't know what he's talking about, and Carlos reminds her that it's what he used to do, he'd buy her jewelry to compensate for being a lowsy husband. Gabrielle says, "And it worked beautifully. So shut up and enjoy." Carlos says he can't believe she's trying to buy him off with a watch, and Gaby comments that when he shakes his wrist, the diamonds really catch the light. Carlos is flabbergasted because she is actually quoting him. Gabrielle tells him everyone has a price, so she asks for his, and he tells her that the price of his forgiveness is her paying attention to him, being more present and having more respect for his feelings and needs. Gabrielle, with bad timing, tells him, jokingly, "You want a new car." Carlos tells her he's going to bed, and Gabrielle tells him to come back because he's sexy when he's angry. Carlos says "Yep. That's mine too.", before he heads up the stairs. Lynette is seen shopping at a local supermarket, and she runs into Natalie Klein, her former colleague, who is surprised to see her. Natalie says "Oh, my God, how long has it been?!", and Lynette says it's been a long time, and asks how she's doing. Natalie says she's great, and asks how Lynette is; she heard about her and Tom. Lynette tells her old friend they went through a rough patch, but they've gotten back together now and things are better than ever. Natalie comments that that's a relief. She adds that she kept thinking that Lynette had sacrificed her whole career for Tom and that didn't even work out. Lynette tells her, "Just to be clear, I didn't sacrifice my career for anyone.", with a bit of an attitude. Natalie says she didn't mean anything by it, she's actually jealous of her. Natalie goes on to say that her company has branches in fifteen cities around the world, so she lives out of a suitcase. But there must be days in which Lynette doesn't even leave the house. "Oh, the simple life." After a brief moment of silence and a fake, polite smile, Lynette blurts out that she got a job offer the day before, from a big European food company that's taking their brand to the States, and they want her to run it. Natalie comments that that's impressive, and asks when she starts. Lynette tells her it's in New York, so it's a lot to consider... "And that is the difference between me and you.", Natalie says, "I'd grab an opportunity like that in a second. But not you." - she says the last part with some patronizing tone and smile on her face. She adds that deep down Lynette is just a wife and a mommy. She gives her the congrats anyway and heads off, and Lynette tells her "See ya." Immediately afterwards, she calls Katherine over the phone and leaves her a message telling her to call back, as they have to talk. Gabrielle walks out of her house, dressed for work, as Carlos reads the morning paper out on the front porch. She tells him she has a long day ahead of him, and e-mails have been coming in since 7 o'clock. Carlos tells her their new gardener started that day, and Gaby asks him to cover that for her, as she doesn't have time to talk to the help. He says it'd be his pleasure and Gaby walks out, checking her phone... until her peripheral vision catches something rather surprising, that makes her stop cold on her track. The new gardener is female, young, curvy and voluptuous. She introduces herself as Carmen ("Hola. I'm Carmen."), and the only response Gaby can give her is a dismissive and reprehensive "Uh uh." She heads back up the steps to confront her husband, asking him "What the hell is that?!", to which Carlos simply replies it's their new gardener... who's gonna take care of everything around there that's been neglected. Gaby, angry with him, says "Oh, you think that's funny?". Carlos says he's just making a point, and Gaby tells him he crossed the line, twice, and then she storms off; Carlos tries to chase after her, but she gets into her car and really hits the pedal as she drives away. Carlos then catches the new gardener giving him a flirty look and bouncing her hips a little, which throws him off a bit, and he heads back inside the house. 'Act III' 'Act IV' 'Act V' 'Act VI' Production This episode was written by series creator and executive producer Marc Cherry (who makes a cameo appearance in it), marking his 18th writing credit with the series, and directed by executive producer and long-time regular director David Grossman, marking his 52nd directing credit. According to actress Marcia Cross (Bree Van de Kamp), the first day of shooting for the series finale was be April 17, 2012. Marcia C. tweet about first day of shooting According to actress Vanessa Williams (Renee Perry), the final day of shooting for the series finale was be April 25, 2012. Vanessa W. tweet about final day of shooting Both Teri Hatcher (Susan Delfino) and Andrea Bowen (Julie Mayer) confirmed that their the last day of filming scenes together would be Tuesday, April 24th 2012. http://www.etonline.com/news/121047_Wisteria_Lane_s_Goodbye_Block_Party/ Series creator and executive producer Marc Cherry planned on making a cameo appearance in the series finale, mirroring notable film director Alfred Hitchcock. [http://www.tvguide.com/News/Desperate-Housewives-Marc-Cherry-1041419.aspx "(...) Marc Cherry Teases a Special Cameo" (''TV Guide article, Jan 10, 2012)][http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVmwCNM-VtE Ask Desperate Housewives Part 2: Marc Cherry & Kevin Rahm] He did, portraying the role of one of Susan's movers, the other mover being played by latest showrunner Bob Daily. The table read for this episode was held on April 16, 2012, as announced by Marcia Cross (Bree Van de Kamp) the day before. Marcia's tweet about the table read (retrieved on April 16, 2012) Table Read (Series Finale).jpg tournage2.png Eva & Vanessa Finale.png evalongoria120416nt.jpg Wrap.jpg Emily Bergl & Brenda Strong.png Trivia *The title of this episode comes from a song of the same name taken from the Stephen Sondheim musical, Sunday in the Park with George. The song "describes detail by detail the exhilarating, frustrating, fulfilling and unsatisfying business of creating a piece of art", theater critic Ben Bratley once wrote. Episode title revealed *This episode features a total of 19 out of the series' 29 "starring" actors, the most out of any episode of the show. *This episode featured cameo appearances in the ending segment by several actors whose characters died earlier in the show, including season regulars Brenda Strong (Mary Alice Young), James Denton (Mike Delfino), Kathryn Joosten (Karen McCluskey) and Jonathan Cake (Chuck Vance) (the latter uncredited), and mostly uncredited appearances from former series regulars Roger Bart (George Williams), Richard Burgi (Karl Mayer) and Steven Culp (Rex Van de Kamp), recurring guest stars Justine Bateman (Ellie Leonard), Emily Bergl (Beth Young), Maria Cominis (Mona Clarke), Christine Estabrook (Martha Huber) (featured earlier in the episode; credited), Valerie Mahaffey (Alma Hodge), Lupe Ontiveros (Juanita "Mama" Solis) and Kiersten Warren (Nora Huntington), and guest stars Ellen Geer (Lillian Simms) and David Starzyk (Bradley Scott). *Show creator Marc Cherry had the idea for the final scene featuring the ghosts of Wisteria Lane since Season 1, and "kept it in his back pocket".Ghost scene details. *Showrunners and executive producers Marc Cherry and Bob Daily made a silent cameo in the episode as movers, during the last act. *The order the characters are introduced in the pilot episode (Lynette, Gabrielle, Bree and then Susan) is reflected in the final scene - the characters' futures and/or farewells are revealed in the same order. *Mary Alice Young committed suicide on a Thursday and Susan moved away also on a Thursday. *The role of Carmen was portrayed (in an uncredited cameo appearance) by Roselyn Sánchez, who originally auditioned for the part of Gabrielle Solis, is one of Eva Longoria's close personal friends, and played one of the lead roles in Marc Cherry's failed pilot for Devious Maids, in which her character's name was also Carmen. *Kathryn Joosten died of lung cancer on June 2, 2012, less than three weeks after the finale, in which her character, Karen McCluskey, also died of cancer. Bloopers and Continuity Errors *When the Young family moved to Wisteria Lane, the front of their house was yellow, not green as shown in this episode. *When the camera moves down in the beginning of Act I to feature the four main ladies talking, it is shaky at the start. Episode connections Episode references Episode allusions *Jennifer has her 'secret' in a mysterious box, similar to how Mary Alice and Paul Young concealed their secret in a toy chest. ("One Wonderful Day") Gallery Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the episode. Promo 823 01.png Promo 823 02.png Promo 823 03.png Promo 823 04.png Promo 823 05.png Promo 823 06.png Promo 823 07.png Promo 823 08.png Promo 823 09.png Promo 823 10.png Promo 823 11.png Promo 823 12.png Promo 823 13.png Promo 823 14.png Promo 823 15.png Promo 823 16.png Promo 823 17.png Promo 823 18.png Promo 823 19.png Promo 823 20.png Promo 823 21.png Promo 823 22.png Promo 823 23.png Promo 823 24.png References External links *Advanced series finale press release *Press release *Promotional trailer Category:Season 8 Category:Episodes Category:Season finale Category:Flashback episodes